The Hospital Elder Life Program at the Jewish General Hospital (HELP)

A Measure of the Effects of the Hospital Elder Life Program at the Jewish General Hospital: a Pre-post Intervention Study

Older patients (i.e.; ≥ 65 years) with a hip fracture, and who are admitted to orthopedics for surgery are particularly at risk of adverse health events such as delirium, recurrent falls and prolonged hospital stay caused by their frailty status. The Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) is a comprehensive inpatient-care program that ensures optimal care for older adults in the hospital and, thus, might reduce the incidence of postoperative adverse health events. The overall objective of this study is to examine in a quantitative fashion the effects of the HELP program on adverse health events in geriatric inpatients admitted to the orthopedic ward at JGH for surgery after a hip fracture.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Delirium; Mortality; Fall Injury
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Inpatient-care program

Detailed Description

Delirium and mobility impairment with high risk of falls are important medical complications after a hip surgery. More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling and the risk of a new fall after a hip surgery may be up to 50%. Both postoperative delirium and fall are associated with increased length of stay and high perioperative mortality.

The Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) is a comprehensive inpatient-care program that ensures optimal care for older adults in the hospital. The primary goals of the HELP program are:

Maintaining cognitive and physical functioning of high risk older adults throughout hospitalization, maximizing independence at discharge, assisting with the transition from hospital to home, and preventing unplanned hospital readmissions. These goals have been accomplished using a multicomponent intervention strategy. In addition to targeted interdisciplinary geriatric assessment, the program uses an innovative volunteer model to provide personal, supportive attention to vulnerable older inpatients.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 51
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec
    • Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1E2
      • Jewish General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 65 years and older (Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 65 and over
• admitted to orthopedic ward for hip surgery after a fracture

Exclusion Criteria:

• younger than 65 years of age
• palliative care

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Interventional; The HELP Program is a comprehensive inpatient-care program that ensures optimal care for older adults in the hospital by using trained volunteers that do specific activities to help prevent or maintain functional decline.	Other: Inpatient-care program; Patients enrolled in the Hospital Elder Life Program can receive four types of personalized volunteer-led interventions based on the needs identified by the care team. These interventions include: Daily orientation and visiting program; Basic active movements; Meal assistance; Recreational activities

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Presence of delirium after a hip surgery	As measure will be used the CAM ( Confusion Assessment Method)	24 hours after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of falls before having a hip fracture	The number of falls are recorded in medical chart	Up to one month
In-hospital mortality	Mortality during hospitalization.	Up to one month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Jewish General Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 5, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 30, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): May 30, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 1, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 8, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): August 14, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 27, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 25, 2019
• Last Verified: February 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: older, hospital, program
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Confusion; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurocognitive Disorders; Delirium
• Other Study ID Numbers: CODIM-MBM-17-182

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No